Cooper Lodge

The cabin is a pause—
But he has forgotten how to rest, our interlocutor
“30 miles a day!” he crows
Awkward crow, shifty, sharp
His beak too long and quick to stab
“And you? And you?”

Pacing, he malingers
Seems to want to join us
Alas! he is too weak
To overcome Ego and Habit

Languid, another, asks for a match
Lights in a corner
Contrast to the last
Settling in, we talk of the past:

Quincy Saul? Your childhood friend?
Quincy’s father taught me to play the piano!
(a skill sadly lost in the passing of years)
But learned and retained
The importance of pauses—
Breaths that give meaning
To music and life

NSG